LETTER: Opposing views silenced at council meeting

As an attendee at the Jan. 29 meeting of the committee of the whole of Saanich council, I found it incomprehensible that only the views of the 53 people who spoke at the meeting were recognized by the chair in determining that the level of support or otherwise for the proposed development of the Cordova Bay Plaza was evenly split.

No recognition was taken of the 255 letters submitted to council members on the issue, of which 71 per cent were against the development as proposed, this, in spite of a presentation on the correspondence at the meeting. Surely, the views of members of the community, whether expressed orally at a council meeting or in written submissions to council should be considered of equal value in the democratic process.